Artificial christmas tree



Feb. 16, 1954 G. B. SMITH ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREE I5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 27, 1950 Emzih fwm n arlam? E.

Feb. 16, 1954 G. B. SMITH 2,669,049

ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREE Filed April 27, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 16,1954 e. B. SMITH ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREE 3 SheetsSheet 3 Filed April27, 1950 "aecaoce the surface of the metal foil. The glint and sparkleof this illumination is enhanced by the fact that the leaves are fluted,or waved, transversely to the center post, as at H, throughout theirheight.

While any foraminous sheet material may be employed for the ornament ofthis invention, expanded metal foil is preferably used. As is well knownto those skilled in the art, this material comprises metal foil theentire area of which is provided with numerous short, parallel slits i2,as shown in Figure 2, disposed in staggered relation to one another, andwhich is drawn or expanded transversely to the slits, in the plane ofthe foil,

to open the slits to a lozenge shape and create a sort of openbasket-weave appearance, as best seen in the enlarged portion l3 inFigure 2. Especially interesting effects may be obtained if aluminumfoil is colored on one side to contrast with the color on its otherside.

Further details of the structure of the ornament are best understood inthe light of the method of fabricating it, now about to be de scribed.

' A number of geometrically similar substantially triangular blanks M-and H: are first cut from expanded aluminum foil. Preferably thesecomprise three larger blanks l4 and three smaller blanks l5, althoughmore than three of each can be used (providing the number of large andsmall blanks is equal), or six or more blanks of uniform size can beused provided there are an even number of blanks.

Each of the blanks has the shape of an isosceles triangle, thedimensions of the larger blanks corresponding roughly to those of thefinished ornament; and the corners of all of the blanks are preferablycut oif squarely, as at IE5, or rounded,

" so as not to present unattractive sharp angles.

As an example of the relative sizes of the blanks, I

the larger may be made 21 inches high and 13 A? inches wide, and'thesmaller 16 inches high and 10 /2 inches Wide, although it will beunderstood that these proportions may be varied and the blanks may bemade substantially larger or smaller than the dimensions given in orderto produce a relatively larger or smaller ornament.

As a first step in the assembly of the ornament, one of the smallerblanks I5 is laid fiatwise on each of the large blanks M, as seen inFigure 4, with substantially equal marginal edge portions of the largerextending beyond the edges of the smaller and with the center lines ofthe two blanks coinciding. The two blanks are then fastened together ona seam I! along their center lines, and this is most readilyaccomplished by stitching them on an ordinary sewing machine. The blanksof each pair are then in the condition illustrated in Figure 5.

When each of the smaller blanks has been thus secured to one of thelarger ones, the larger ones are next sewed together. The left and righthalves l9 and 20 respectively of the larger blank, and the correspondinghalves 2| and 22 respectively of the smaller may each be considered-asindividual leaves or wings, and to enable the second assembly operationto be performed the left leaf 2| of one of the smaller blanks is rolledforwardly and to the right (as best seen in Figure 7) to expose the leftleaf 19 of its attached large blank; and the right leaf 22 of anothersmall blank is similarly rolled to the left to permit free access to theright wing 20 of the large blank to which it is secured. This enablesthe exposed leaves of these two larger blanks, 19 of one and 20 of theother, to be sewed together in flatwise back-to-back relationship,coterminously with one another, along a seam 24 spaced to one side oftheir center lines and converging upwardly toward the same. Thiscondition is represented in Figures 6 and "I.

In the third fabricating step, joined blanks in their first and secondstages of assembly are combined in the manner illustrated in Figure 8,and secured together as seen in Figure 9. To enable this to be done, thefree leaves of the larger second stage blanks are folded outwardly, awayfrom one another, along their center lines, as shown in Figure 8, andthe larger left and right leaves of the first stage unit are broughbetween them and sewed to the correspondingly opposite leaves (i. e.,the right and left leaves, respectively) of the other two blanks, inflatwise backto-back relationship and coterminously with them. Inperforming this latter step in the assembly the smaller leaves overlyingthe large ones to be connected are of course first rolled to one side,and the connecting seams are again disposed in spaced relationship tothe centerlines of the blanks, converging upwardly toward thecenterlines. The blanks are now assembled, and are in the conditionshown in Figure 9, with all of their center lines coinciding and witheach of the larger blanks connected with two other larger blanks, eachof the larger leaves being in fiat'wise baok-to-back relationship withthe leaf of another large blank and fastened thereto along a seam spacedfrom the blank center line and converging upwardly toward the same.

The area of each large blank between the converging seams thereon may beconsidered as a medial zone of the blank, and the severalmedial .zonesdefine a central Wedge shaped pocket of irregular cross section fromwhich the several wings of the blanks radiate. This pocket, whensuitably distended, forms the tapering tubular center post of theornament, and to this end a tapering mandrel 25 is inserted upwardlyinto the pocket to spread and round out the converging medial zones ofthe larger blanks, so that each defines an arcuate segment of the centerpost.

The mandrel is preferably provided with a suitable Working base 26,which is somewhat wider than the bottom of the mandrel, both to providea stop to limit insertion of the mandrel (to preclude the possibility oftearing the foil in the neighborhood of the seams by inserting themandrel too far) and to provide a working mount for the ornament whileperforming the next two operations thereon.

After the center post has been formed the connected leaves of the largerblanks are spread apart, as at 2! (see Figure 10), by folding them alongthe connecting seams, and the smaller blanks are also folded along theircenter line seams, as at 28, so that all of the wings .of the severalblanks extend substantially radially from the center post, at divergentangles to one another.

Next each of the wings is. deformed in a series of laterally adjacentfiutings, extending transversely to the center post, in such manner asto provide what may be aptly characterized as a marcel wave effect.

Finally the mandrel is removed and the ornament is mounted on its base 6to complete it. The upwardly projecting cylindrical portion of the base(which contains the socket for the light bulb Ill) fits snugly into thebottom of the tubular center post and extends a substantial distance upinto the same so that no adhesive is required to hold the ornament inplace on the base, thus permitting the ornament to be removed therefromto enable the light bulb to be changed or to enable the ornament to bestored more completely. The mounting base has a shoulder 28 which abutsthe lower edge of the center post tube to thus hold the ornament at asuitable height above its supporting surface.

From the foregoing description, taken together with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be readily apparent that this invention provides anunusually attractive Christmas decoration made of expanded metal foiland provided with internal illumination which causes the entire ornamentto sparkle and glitter, and that the invention also provides a simpleand inexpensive method of making such an ornament.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A metal foil novelty device comprising: a plurality of similarsubstantially triangular metal foil blanks, each folded along a pair oflines spaced at opposite sides of the vertical center line of the blankand converging upwardly toward the same, said folds dividing each blankinto a longitudinally medial zone and a left and right wing; seamsextending along said fold lines and fastening each of said blanks to apair of other blanks with the left Wing of each blank substantiallycoterminous with the right wing of its adjacent blanks; and the medialzones of said blanks being arcuately curved in cross section andcooperating to define a single thickness tapering tubular center postfrom which said wings extend substantially radially.

2. The novelty device of claim 1, further characterized by the fact thatsaid blanks are formed from foraminous metal foil; and by the fact thatsaid wings are fluted substantially transversely to the center post.

3. The novelty device of claim 1, further characterized by a pluralityof smaller triangular metal foil blanks, similar in shape to said firstnamed blanks and fastened to one of the first named blanks by means of aseam along the central portion of each smaller blank joining the same tothe curved post defining portion of one of the larger blanks, saidsmaller blanks being folded substantially along their seams so thattheir wings extend substantially radially from the center post.

4. As an article of manufacture: a plurality of large triangular blanksand a corresponding number of smaller triangular blanks, each of saidsmaller blanks being fastened to one of the larger blanks along a seamon the vertical center lines of the two blanks, each of said largerblanks being connected with two other larger blanks along a pair ofseams spaced at opposite sides of its centerline and upwardly convergenttoward the same, with each half (as defined by the vertical centerline)of one of said larger blanks fiatwise overlying and coterminous with thecorrespondingly opposite half of another blank, so that the verticalcenterlines of all of said triangular blanks coincide with one another.

GARLAND B. SMITH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES Science News Letter, Dec. 10, 1949, page 384, published byScience Service, Washington, D. C.

